The present invention comprises a new and distinct cultivar of artichoke plant, botanically known as Cynara scolyms L., and herein referred to by the cultivar name ‘BCA 3-21’. This new variety is characterized by a distinctive violet bract tip, a greater number of shoots and daughter plants than the parent and other artichoke varieties known to the inventor, a more compact shape than the parent with a distinctive flavor.
Cynara scolymus L., commonly known as Globe artichoke, is a perennial herb and is a member of the family Asteraceae, also known as the Compositae family. Globe artichokes comprise: leaves, which are pinnately lobed, but primarily spineless; globose capitula composed of overlapping layers of large involucral bracts; and receptacles, which are enlarged and fleshy. Globe artichoke plants are essentially grown for the production of the immature flower heads (or buds). The immature buds are harvested before the appearance of sexual organs (or the mature flower) and are considered vegetable delicacies. Fresh artichokes may be steamed, boiled, or baked after which the fleshy receptacle, inner and outer bracts, and parts of the floral stem may be eaten.
The new cultivar is a product of a planned breeding program carried out by the inventor near Perpignan, France. It originated as a single plant, which was obtained from a cross between two “Camus” (unpatented) artichokes. It was noticeably different than its parents in the color and shape of the bracts and the overall shape in the fruit head. The inventor performed asexual reproduction of a single plant of the new cultivar via division. It was demonstrated that the combination of characteristics as herein disclosed for the new cultivar are firmly fixed and retained through successive generations of asexual reproduction.